


Waldszenen

by purple_mangosteen



Series: Clair de Lune [5]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Drama, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-03-16 17:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3496232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_mangosteen/pseuds/purple_mangosteen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Golden Week. An old friend of Kudo Yukiko asks them to Lake Biwa for case.  Kaitou Kid is going to steal Crystal Mother.  Hattori Heiji invites them to his kendo tournament. Well, he supposes he should introduce Kaito to Hattori.  On the top of it, his birthday is coming too. Not that he ever remembers it. Slash. Kaitou Kid/Edogawa Conan. Kuroba Kaito/Kudo Shinichi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. Also there are quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources.

 

**Forest Scene**

 

Chapter I

 

"You want to surprise Edogawa by showing up without telling him?" Haibara Ai asked the Detective Boys.

"Yes!" They replied in unison.

"Edogawa might be busy," she warned.

“Conan-kun is always busy these days!” Ayumi muttered. “He never plays with us anymore!”

“And he went to London during holiday too!”

Kudo did buy a lot of souvenirs such as Paddington bear, candy and chocolate in classic British style tin, London shirt and many more. Kudo, or his mother, didn’t forget to buy her the Burberry purse she wanted, which was good, or she would tease him nonstop. He also bought chocolate from Switzerland. England wasn't enough for Kudo, that Holmes geek had to visit Reichenbach Falls too.

"That's why we must go to his house now!" Genta said.

"Yeah!" Mitsuhiko said agreement.

Ai inwardly sighed.

If only they knew. Of course Kudo didn’t have time to play with the children during weekend. He had his husband now. Unlike her who lived with Professor Agasa as her guardian, Kudo didn’t have anyone close who knew his secret and could treat him like an adult. Hattori Heiji lived at Osaka. Kudo was alone, acting like child all the time. Having Kuroba must be a dream come true. With Kuroba, Kudo was always Kudo Shinichi, regardless of what he looked like.

"Please, Ai-chan," Ayumi pleaded.

She sighed again. "Fine," she said.

"Yes!" they cheered.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

"Surprise!" The children yelled when Kudo opened the door of Kogoro Mouri’s Agency.

Kudo blinked at them.

Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi got inside the agency, leaving Kudo in the door.

"Do we disturb your date?" she asked.

"There is no date," Kudo retorted.

Ai raised her eyebrow. The reason was obvious when she saw Kuroba Kaito sitting on the couch. She also heard Nakamori Aoko and Suzuki Sonoko's voice from the kitchen.

“Kaito-niisan!”

“Hi!” Kuroba said with a friendly grin. His eyes flickered to Kudo briefly.

Kudo shook his head.

“Kaito-niisan! Show us your magic trick!” Ayumi said.

“Yeah.” Genta nodded.

Kuroba pretended to think for a moment. “Alright,” he said.

“Yes!”

She turned around.

“Where are you going?” Kudo asked.

“Toilet,” she replied.

“It’s over there,” Kudo said.

“I know,” she replied. She had been often after all. The toilet/bathroom was located next to the kitchen.

“Ai-chan,” Mouri Ran said when she saw her. “Are you here with the other children?” she asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “We’re going to play football.”

“Good,” Suzuki Sonoko said. ”Then it’s only us.”

“Sonoko!” Ran reprimanded her friend.

Sonoko shrugged before she suddenly grinned. “It’s us and Aoko and Kaito-kun.”

“Sonoko-chan!” Aoko protested, blushing.

Then she spotted the necklace Aoko wore. "It's really pretty," she said.

Aoko smiled. "It's White Day's gift from Kaito." She told her, smiling happily.

"You got the best White Day's gift out of all of us." Sonoko muttered.

The girls started giggling.

Aoko toyed with her necklace fondly. It was a real Swarovski necklace. Ai knew because she had the same necklace which Kudo Yukiko gave her.

“I know!” Sonoko exclaimed suddenly. “You and Kaito-kun can go to Tokyo Skytree." She suggested. "We can go shopping at Solamachi. And then..." she gave Aoko sly grin, "You and Kaito-kun can have dinner at La Sora Seed. It's so romantic!"

La Sora Seed was a restaurant on the 31st floor of East Yard, with a ceiling partly made of glass for a sweeping view of Tokyo Skytree.

This was priceless! Didn't Kuroba take Kudo to Tokyo Skytree a few weeks ago for their date? Kuroba also treated Kudo lunch at fine dining restaurant.

“Ah, Conan-kun,” Ran said.

Ops. She had forgotten that Kudo followed her to the kitchen. She turned to look at Kudo. His face was perfectly neutral and innocent even though he must have heard everything. He glanced briefly at Aoko, no, not at her, but at her necklace. Probably comparing it with the violin he got. Hmm...what would Kudo do?

“Are you looking for the pie?” Ran asked.

Kudo smiled bashfully at her. Oh, he was good. It seemed Kudo had learned a thing or two about acting from his husband.

“Yes, Ran-neechan,” Kudo replied.

There were two boxes from famous bakery in Tokyo on the kitchen counter.

“Kaito said we shouldn’t come here empty handed,” Aoko said. “I don’t know why he chose lemon pie though.”

Of course. Lemon pie. Kudo’s favourite dessert. It was an obvious attempt of Kuroba to butter up Kudo so Kudo wouldn’t get mad at him.

“They’re ready now.” Ran said. She had cut the pie and put it on separate small plate.

“I can take it, Ran-neechan,” Kudo offered.

“Thank you, Conan-kun.”

Kudo took the tray and returned to the living room.

She went to the toilet.

When she returned to the living room, Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi were busy regaling Kuroba about their plan. Kudo was suspiciously silent.

"We're going to play football!" Genta stated loudly.

Ayumi nodded.

“Oh, really?” Kuroba said. His eyes glinted mischievously.

“Yes,” Genta responded.

“Are you guys good in it?”

“Conan-kun is the best player in our school,” Ayumi informed.

“Can we go to the park now?” Genta asked impatiently.

Kuroba glanced at Kudo.

Kudo gave his husband a pleading look. Kuroba caved in instantly.

"Why don't I go with you guys?” Kuroba offered.

"Really?" The children beamed at Kuroba.

“That’s great!”

"Yes!"

“Let’s go, Kaito-niisan!”

It was the commotion that drew the girls out from the kitchen.

“Eh?”

“Playing football?”

“But, Kaito-kun...”

Unfortunately, Kuroba had promised those children and the girls were forced to give up.

“You can go to mall,” Kuroba said. “I’m going to play football with them. We can meet later, Aoko. Text me when you’re done.”

“Fine,” Aoko finally relented.

“We’re off then.” Kuroba said.

“Bye, everyone!” Ayumi said.

“Football! Here we come!” Genta gushed enthusiastically.

“I’m impressed,” she commented in a low voice so only Kudo heard her. Using children to chase away romantic opponents. Never underestimate the power of vicious genius.

“He doesn’t exactly have a choice at this moment, does he?” Kudo replied.

My, my. It came as surprise that someone as confident as Kudo could actually feel insecure. But she understood where that thought came from. Kuroba and Nakamori Aoko were childhood friends who met each other at a young age. Aoko had a crush on Kuroba and Kuroba used to have a crush on her too. And then, Kuroba became Kaitou Kid whom Aoko hated because Kid kept foiling her father.

Ai had done her research about Kid and she supposed that once Kuroba was done being Kid, he could always return to Aoko. He could but he wouldn’t. Somehow, she was reminded by something she read a long time ago. A man was lucky if he was the first love of a woman. A woman was lucky if she was the last love of a man.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They arrived at Beika Park half an hour later.

She, Ayumi and Kudo were on the same team meanwhile Genta, Mitsuhiko and Kuroba were on the other team.

Kudo beat them all.

“Conan-kun always wins.” Ayumi said in admiration.

“It’s not fair!” Genta grumbled.

“Yeah!” Mitsuhiko nodded. “We always lose!”

“Oi! Oi!” Kudo protested.

“You guys need to practice more,” she suggested.

“It’s no use,” Mitsuhiko muttered. The boy was right of course. Kudo was very talented in football.

“What about ice cream?” Kuroba interrupted them, pointing at the ice cream stall across them. “It’s my treat,” he added.

“Yes!” Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko cheered. They ran to the stall. All previous conversation forgotten in their haste.

Kudo rolled his eyes.

Kuroba smiled crookedly, knowingly. 

“I want strawberry ice cream.” Ayumi said.

“Chocolate ice cream!” Genta said.

“I want chocolate ice cream too,” Mitsuhiko said.

“Ogura ice cream,” she said.

“Chocolate ice cream,” Kuroba said. “Triple scoops.”

“What?”

“That’s cheating!” Genta protested.

“We want three scoops too.”

“Everyone can have three scoops,” Kuroba said to the delight of Genta.

Kuroba was very good with the children. But as always, she couldn’t really read him. It could be true or it could be a calculated farce.

“And coffee ice cream for this one.” Kuroba said.

The children, too busy with their own ice cream, didn’t pay attention to Kuroba anymore.

Kuroba and Kudo was busy talking now. They had smile on their faces. It seemed that they grew closer, if that was still possible, because of their trip to London. 

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Football and ice cream later...Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko were easily satisfied with the outing. They didn’t protest at all when Kudo told them that he and Kuroba must head back.

“Bye, Ai-chan!”

“Bye Conan!”

“See you in school!”

“Thanks, Kaito-niisan!”

To her surprise, Kudo and Kuroba walked her home. The surprise turned into annoyance when she realized that they actually wanted to spend time there. Kudo had his own house, which unfortunately was occupied by Okiya Subaru, that he was forced to seek shelter at Professor Agasa’s residence.

“I’m home,” she called.

“Welcome back,” Professor Agasa replied. He was watching news on television. “Shinichi, Kaito-kun.”

“Hello, Professor,” Kudo said.

Kuroba grinned cheerfully.

“Back so soon?” Professor Agasa asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

Professor Agasa turned his attention back on the television.

“What are you watching, Professor?” Kudo asked.

“Special report,” the man replied.

She and Kudo exchanged look.

“Queen Elisabeth of Ingram will visit Japan for four days. Ingram, officially the Principality of Ingram is as German speaking microstate in Central Europe. It is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Queen of Ingram,” the news anchor reported. “The Queen will arrive this Wednesday at Haneda Airport, starting off her official tour to Tokyo’s famed landmark including Olympic 2020 site, Tokyo Skytree and Imperial Palace. Her schedule includes meetings with Emperor Akihito and Crown Prince Naruhito.”

The television screen showed the image of Queen Elisabeth with her son, the Crown Prince Philip. He was a small boy of seven.

“The visit is aimed at highlighting Ingram’s links with Japan and will focus on promoting innovation, trade, creativity and tourism. Queen Elisabeth will bring her only son in this visit. Aside of that, the Queen will also wear Crystal Mother, the famed largest topaz in the world that belonged to the royal family of Ingram.”

The screen this time showed the image of the Queen with the said jewel.

“Interesting,” Kuroba muttered.

Kudo sighed.

So, Kuroba planned to steal the jewel, eh? He had a nerve to steal from foreign dignitaries.

“Come on!” Kudo dragged his husband away. He was probably going to talk Kuroba out of it.

Well, it was their business. She didn’t want to know, for now at least.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

He dragged Kaito to his guest bedroom at Professor Agasa’s house. He put his glasses on the desk before he turned to look at Kaito. “You can’t be serious!”

Kaito lifted an eyebrow. “You worry too much.”

“We’re talking about a Queen of foreign country here.” He tried to argue. Kaito better not cause any diplomatic incident.

"My wife has so little faith in me," Kaito said and though he sounded mournful, his eyes laughed. "Isn't that so sad?”

“Just be careful.” He told Kaito as he resigned himself to whatever plan Kaito had up his sleeve. If a few months ago, someone told him that he would end up dating Kid, he would commit the said person to the nearest asylum as fast as he could.

“Aren’t I always?” Kaito replied.

He rolled his eyes.

“Why the man who tried to kill me is working as waiter at Café Poirot?” Kaito asked suddenly.

He winced. He forgot to tell Kaito about that.

“Is he another undercover agent from FBI?” Kaito asked sarcastically.

“No,” he replied. “He’s a member of Japan secret police.”

Kaito stared at him before he let out a long sigh.

“I only found out about that later,” he explained.

“You better be,” Kaito grumbled and sat on the bed. His gaze fell on the violin case. “Play something for me,” the teen said.

“What do you want to hear?” he asked.

“Clair de Lune,” Kaito replied serenely.

“Very well.” He put the violin on his shoulder and began to play.

It was quite weird having Kaito as his audience who watched him with dark glint in his eyes.

He finished the song and bowed.

“Come here, dearest.” Kaito said with a smirk.

Eyeing Kaito warily, he put the violin back to its case before he went to Kaito. Once he was close to the other teen, Kaito sneaked one arm around his waist and pulled him into his lap.

“That..,” Kaito’s voice, low and seductive in his ear, whispered, “was perfect.”

He turned to face Kaito. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” he murmured.

“On the contrary, dearest. Flattery will get me everywhere.” Kaito replied before leaning down and kissing him.

He kissed back, wrapping his arms around Kaito’s neck.

Kaito pulled off after a couple of minutes. “I’m right, aren’t I?” the other teen breathed out. His grin was a sly, wicked thing.

“Don’t get used to it,” he shot back, looking at Kaito through half lidded eyes.

"I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kaito said solemnly before he broke into smirk and kissed him again, deeper this time. Then Kaito moved to kiss his neck. He closed his eyes and tilted his head as he felt Kaito’s teeth gently nipping on his skin.

Their activity was interrupted by the ringing of Kaito’s phone. Kaito ended the kiss and glanced at the screen of his phone. “We’re summoned back,” Kaito said.

He sighed and fixed his clothes. Once he was ready, he got up from Kaito’s lap.

“Time to go back,” he muttered.

“Let’s go.” Kaito said and kissed him again.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

A few days later, Haibara Ai wasn’t surprised at all when Kaitou Kid announced that he was going to steal Crystal Mother. Neither was Kudo. She had noticed it before. Ever since their meeting at the ski resort, Kudo never showed any surprise whenever Kid sent his heist note, which only meant one thing. Kuroba always informed Kudo beforehand about his plan. Kudo had Kuroba firmly leashed, even if no one else realized it. Even Kudo didn’t realize it. If he did, he wouldn’t worry about Nakamori Aoko at all. But Ai didn’t plan to say anything. She would sit back and watch. This was more interesting than any TV drama anyway.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

_‘Kaitou Kid to Steal Crystal Mother!’_

He stared at the newspaper headline. The heist note was the talk of the moment. Kaito had waited until Queen Elisabeth arrived at Tokyo before he sent the note to reduce the chance for the visit to be cancelled. The Queen planned to go to Osaka by Royal Express, the most luxurious train in Japan and she would mingle with Japan citizen during the ride. It was perfect. Moving train, a lot of passengers he could impersonate and limited place for security. Inspector Nakamori was tasked with the security and knowing Kaito, he supposed Kaito already wrangled out the detail from the unsuspecting man.

Ah, well. Kaito would be busy with his side project and he would be busy with his.

An old friend of his mother had asked Mouri Kogoro for help. The woman who was a retired actress had paid for their travel expense and accommodation. They would leave for Kyoto this weekend.

His phone rang. He looked at ID. Hattori? What did Hattori want now?

“Hello?” he said.

“Yo, Kudo.” Hattori said. “Are you busy this weekend?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Eh?” Hattori sounded surprised.

“We’re going to Lake Biwa through Kyoto for a case,” he said. “An old acquaintance of my mother asked our help.”

“Perfect.” Hattori said. “You guys can come and see this Hattori Heiji win Kansai Kendo Tournament.”

“You’re very confident that you’re going to win,” he retorted.

“Oy!”

“The last time we went there, you even didn’t participate in the competition,” he muttered.

“That’s because I had a case.” Hattori replied easily. “Besides that, it is an individual competition this time.”

“Fine,” he said. “I suppose we can stop by to see you.”

“You’re so cold,” Hattori muttered. “But a case eh? Count me in, Kudo.”

“Eh?”

Hattori already disconnected the phone.

He sighed. Now, he had to inform Ran and Kogoro about this change to their plan. But he could use this opportunity to give Hattori the souvenirs he bought in London and Switzerland.

 

 

Author’s Note:

Hi, everyone!

 _Waldszenen_  ("Forest Scenes"), Opus 82, is a set of nine short solo piano pieces composed by Robert Schumann.

Thank you for reading and please review.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. Also there are quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources.

 

**Waldszenen**

 

Chapter II

 

Nakamori Aoko blinked. When did she fall asleep? She looked at the empty seat in front of her. Where was Kaito? It was then she noticed the yellow jewel in her drink. She had no doubt that it was the famous Crystal Mother. That damned thief put it in her drink!

“What are you staring at?” Kaito showed up with snack.

“That!” she pointed angrily.

“Isn’t that Crystal Mother?” Kaito asked, frowning. “Did you steal it?”

“Idiot!” she yelled at him. This wasn’t a time to joke around. “Kid put the jewel in my drink to mock my father!”

"Oi! Oi! Aoko...”

She stood up. “I have to tell my father about this!” and marched off to Queen Elisabeth’s compartment. She didn’t forget to bring her drink too.

Kaito followed her.

She opened the door that separated the compartment and saw the chaos there.

Queen Elisabeth was sitting in her seat, surrounded by her advisors. They were talking in serious face.

“Aoko, what are you doing here?” her father asked when he noticed her presence.

“This!” she put the drink on the table.

“Sie haben es gefunden!” Queen Elisabeth said in relief. “Danke!”

Aoko didn’t understand what the Queen was saying.

“The Queen expresses her gratefulness because you found the Crystal Mother,” the interpreter said.

Her father let out a string of curses.

“Kaitou Kid fails to steal it,” Martin Liebermann, Ingram Ambassador for Japan said in relief.

Aoko snorted. “That thief never steals anything. He only wants to toy around with the police and show off his trick. I bet he thinks that this is funny!”

“Don’t worry, Aoko,” her father consoled. “One day I’ll catch Kid and put him into jail!”

She nodded in agreement.

Kaito looked rather pained. It was annoying that Kaitou Kid was Kaito’s idol. It was the same with Suzuki Sonoko. What was so good about Kid that he got a lot of fans?

“Attention, ladies and gentleman. Royal Express will arrive at Osaka in ten minutes,” the announcer said.

What followed next was a flurry of activities to prepare for the Queen’s arrival at Osaka. As far as she knew, the Queen would visit a few tourism sites and then she was going to meet Hashimoto Toru, Osaka major, before returning to Ingram through Kansai International Airport.

“Hey, Aoko.”

“What?”

“We left our bags at the other compartment,” Kaito reminded her.

She forgot about that because of Kid. Urgh. They hurriedly went to their compartment to retrieve their belonging. Since her father duty was done, he would return to Tokyo directly. However, Kaito had asked her to stop by Osaka for sightseeing which she readily agreed.

They didn’t hang out as often as before and Kaito often disappear during weekend and public holiday with no explanation. When they went out, Ran, Sonoko and Conan often joined them. Just like the last time, she was going to heed Sonoko’s advice about Tokyo Skytree but Kaito chose to play football with those children. Although, she wasn’t surprised at that one. Annoyed yes, surprised no. Kaito was child at heart. Even Conan acted more mature than Kaito and that was saying something.

To be fair though, Kaito had changed now. For one, he suddenly became serious in his study. While Kaito was smart, he didn’t bother with lesson before. Now, he was the first rank student in their class. Kaito even got perfect mark in every subject. The second, he never flipped up her skirt again and peeked at girls changing room. She didn’t think that Kaito would keep his promise but it seemed that she had underestimated him. And the third, he seldom pranked their classmates. Kaito did show them magic trick from time to time but no more than that. In fact, the magic trick was more elaborate and impressive each day. Sometime, she glimpsed about Kaito she didn’t recognize anymore and that change worried her. Where was Kaito she met a long time ago at the clock tower, her best friend and her first love?

“Aoko!” Aoko!”

“What?” she snapped.

“You’re daydreaming!” Kaito said. “What are you thinking? Oh! I know! You’re thinking about your favourite actor!” he accused.

“I wasn’t!” she retorted

“You were!”

“I wasn’t!”

They stared at each other and began to laugh. Aoko preferred this Kaito instead of serious and mature Kaito.

“Come on, then!” Kaito said.

“Wait!” she protested. “Do you know the area around here?”

“Leave it to me!” Kaito replied cockily.

Ten minutes later and they were still inside the station.

“Idiot!” she muttered. “You said that you know the way!”

“I do know the way!” Kaito replied.

“Why are we still inside the station then?” she asked sarcastically. They should be out of the underground station by now.

“Uhm...”

“Where is the map?” she grabbed the map from Kaito’s hand.

“Hey!” Kaito protested.

“You’re useless!” she muttered, staring at the map intently. “You made wrong turn here!” she pointed.

“Eh? No way!” Kaito denied.

“We should go to right instead of left.” She said, glaring at Kaito.

“I’m certain that I chose the right way.” Kaito said stubbornly.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Aoko turned to see Mouri Kogoro, Mouri Ran and Edogawa Conan who were staring at them in bewilderment.

“It must be Kaitou Kid’s heist,” Kogoro said.

“Oh, I forgot about that,” Ran said.

“Are you guys in Osaka for Golden Week?” Aoko asked.

“Oh, no.” Ran waved her hand. “We’re here to watch Hattori-kun’s kendo match.”

“Hey! We’re here on case!” Kogoro protested.

Ran rolled her eyes.

“A client asked us to go to Lake Biwa for a case,” Conan explained, “but we’re going to Heiji-niichan‘s match first.”

“Heiji-niichan?” Aoko echoed.

“Hattori Heiji, he’s our friend.” Ran explained. “He’s also Shinichi’s best friend. Heiji-kun is a high school detective like Shinichi.”

“I’m still the best detective here,” Kogoro muttered.

Ran ignored her father and continued with her explanation. “Shinichi is called Detective of the East and Heiji-kun is called Detective of the West.”

“That sounds interesting.” Kaito said suddenly. “Where is the match?”

“Eh?” She turned to Kaito in surprise.

“Aren’t you the least curious?” Kaito asked, grinning.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

Forty minutes later and Aoko found herself and Kaito with Ran, Conan and Mouri Kogoro at Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium, an indoor sporting arena located in Minato-ku, Osaka.

“Where are they?” Ran muttered, looking around her.

“Ran-chan!” someone waved her hand.

“Kazuha-chan!” Ran called.

They joined the unknown girl.

“Kudo-kun?” the girl said in confusion.

“Ah, no,” Ran said. “He looks like Shinichi but he isn’t him.”

“I’m Kuroba Kaito,” Kaito introduced himself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Nakamori Aoko. Nice to meet you.” She said.

“I’m Touyama Kazuha,” the girl said. “Nice to meet you too.” 

“They’re our friend my Tokyo,” Ran explained. “We met them here coincidentally and they want to see the match.”

“The more the merrier,” Kazuha said cheerfully. She looked at Kaito upside down. “You really look like Kudo-kun. Heiji is so sure that Kudo will come to see him. He said that there is no way he will lose if Kudo come to see his match.”

Ran giggled. “Heiji-kun always takes their East vs West rivalry seriously.”

“Yeah,” Kazuha replied with a roll of her eyes.

Aoko had heard about Kudo Shinichi before. He was Ran’s best friend. Kudo was also a famous high school detective.

“Come,” Kazuha said. She led them to their seat.

An elegant and beautiful woman in kimono looked at their arrival.

“Shizuka-san.” Ran and Conan greeted the woman politely.

Kazuha proceeded to introduce them to the woman who turned out to be Hattori Heiji’s mother.

“Are you on holiday here?” Kazuha asked once the introduction was done.

“Oh, no,” Aoko replied. “We’re here because of Kid’s heist. And Kaito wanted to meet the Queen of Ingram.”

“Hey!” Kaito protested and gave her a dirty look since it was her who wanted to see Queen Elisabeth.

Aoko ignored him. “My father has returned to Tokyo but Kaito wants to see Osaka.”

“Your father?”

“My father is Inspector Nakamori from Division 2 of Tokyo Metropolitan Police,” she replied proudly.

“Heiji’s father and my father are police too,” Kazuha said.

“Really?” Aoko asked. She was glad to find similarity between her and the girl. Kaito didn’t understand what being a child of police feel like.

“Yes,” Kazuha nodded. “Heiji’s father, Hattori Heizo is General Superintendant of Osaka and my father is deputy superintendant general.”

Oh. Wow. That meant Hattori’s father was the highest ranking officer at the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters and Kazuha’s father was the second highest ranking officer.

While waiting for the match to begin, she chatted with Ran and Kazuha. Kaito meanwhile indulged Hattori Shizuka in conversation. Parents always liked Kaito since he always said the right things in front of them. Girls also liked Kaito because he always sweet talked them.

“That’s Heiji!” Kazuha pointed.

“The match is about to begin.” Shizuka said.

They stopped talking and focused their attention to the match. Aoko didn’t know much about kendo but even she could see that Hattori’s ability was superior to his opponent.

“Yes!” Kazuha screamed in delight. “Heiji won!”

After bowing to his opponent and the referee, Hattori waved his hand at them. He took off his protector then. Hattori was a good looking boy with tanned skin.

He walked to their seat. “I told you that I’m going to win, right?” he said smugly when he saw Kaito and then he blinked. “You’re...” he trailed off.

This reaction confused Aoko. Did Kudo really look alike with Kaito so much?

The introduction was done again for the third time that day.

Then Hattori was called to accept the prize. It seemed that he was quite popular because there were many girls who cheered on him.

Shizuka left after the ceremony, saying that she had something to do. She also told her son to behave.

“So, when are we leaving?” Hattori asked.

Conan looked at his watch. “We promised to meet her after lunch,” the child replied.

“Good!” Hattori seemed to vibrate with energy.

“Our client is going to meet us at Hakata Ippudo.  Then we’re going to Lake Biwa for a case,” Conan repeated his explanation.

“Excellent.” Kaito said in delight. “We can go there too.”

"But..." Aoko hesitated. She never visited Lake Biwa before but it meant they were going to intrude Mouri Kogoro with his case.

“You can join us,” Ran said, smiling.

Well, if Ran said so then it was alright.

“Hey! This isn’t a picnic!” Kogoro protested.

“You can handle the case,” Ran said in a strict tone. “We can go sightseeing.”

“Hey!”

Ran glared at her father.

Kogoro sighed in defeat.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

The meeting place was Hakata Ippudo, a ramen restaurant near the Gymnasium. They ordered food for their lunch while waiting for the client to show up.

Shinichi looked at Kaito who sat across of him. What was Kaito planning? He didn’t believe it all that Kaito could get lost in the station and then meet them there. It was too much coincidence to be true. He had checked the news website earlier. The Queen’s visit went smoothly. She thanked for the hospitality of the host. Even Kid’s failed attempt to steal Crystal Mother didn’t disturb the atmosphere at all. But Shinichi knew better. The heist was successful but Kaito returned the jewel because it wasn’t was he was looking.

 

SH: What are you doing?

 

He sent the text. The reply came almost immediately.

 

AL: Waiting for my lunch.

SH: You know what I’m talking about.

AL: You’ll see.

 

He stared at the screen of his phone and resisted the urge to throttle Kaito.

“Conan-kun?” Ran said in a whisper. She sat on his left while Hattori sat on his right.

“Yes, Ran-neechan?”

“Weren’t you going to give the souvenirs you bought in London to them?”

He almost forgot about that.

“Thanks for reminding me, Ran-neechan.” He chirped.

Ran smiled at him. Ran really treated him like her younger brother.

He took the paper bags he had and gave them to Hattori and Kazuha.

“What is this, Conan-kun?” Kazuha asked.

“I went to London for holiday,” he replied, “so I bought some souvenir for you.”

“Thanks, Conan-kun.” Kazuha replied.

“Where?” Hattori grabbed the bag. He was always impatient.

“You’re so rude.” Kazuha reprimanded him.

“Thanks, Ku-“

He kicked Hattori’s leg.

“-Conan,” Hattori finished, glaring at him.

He glared back at Hattori.

Hattori apparently decided that the content of the bag was more important and started rummaging it. He pulled out something. “This is a deerstalker hat!” he proclaimed in surprise.

He grinned. It was homage to Sherlock Holmes. “I thought you’re going to like it,” he said innocently, knowing that Hattori favourite detective was Ellery Queen.

“It’s so cute,” Kazuha said. She also had the deerstalker hat. “Thanks, Conan-kun.”

Hattori gave him annoyed look.

He also bought tea, candy and chocolate which seemed to mollify Hattori. The other teen was such a kid sometimes.

“Kaito also went to London.” Aoko said suddenly. “Right, Kaito.”

“Yes,” Kaito replied.

He truly hoped that she didn’t start asking about London now. Fortunately, the waitress came with their order so the conversation was forgotten.

“Are you guys in Osaka for Golden Week?” Hattori began. It was no doubt he was going to promote his hometown.

“We actually came here for Kid’s heist.” Aoko replied. “My dad is Inspector Nakamori. He’s in charge of Kid’s force task. He will catch Kid someday!”

Not bloody likely, judging from the way Inspector Nakamori and his subordinates acted during heist so far.

“Did you see him then, Kaitou Kid?” Kazuha asked enthusiastically.

“No,” Aoko replied. “I fell asleep.”

“Hey, Heiji.” Kazuha said. “We should go to Kid’s heist next time.” She suggested excitedly.

Hattori groaned. “I’ve no interest in thievery,” he replied and returned to his beef ramen.

“I want to see Kid,” Kazuha said. “I wish I saw his midair walk and teleportation magic live. It must be amazing.”

Please. Not another fan. He had enough of Sonoko.

“I never see him,” Aoko offered.

That was weird. Aoko came to several heists and yet she never saw Kaito in action. How was it possible? He was even certain that Aoko was with Kaito at his few heists.

“Eh?” Ran frowned. “But you were with us at Tokyo Tower.”

“Queen of Heart heist, right?” Kazuha said. “I saw about that on TV. Kid gave his fans Hershey Chocolate Kiss to celebrate Valentine.”

“Yeah,” Ran said and turned to Aoko in confusion. “You didn’t see him? But Kid was standing in front of all of us.”

“I went to toilet and the door was jammed.” Aoko explained. “I called Kaito for help but he came after the heist was over.”

Of course. There was a big probability that she could recognize Kaito, especially in a close distance. And Kaito couldn’t let it happen. Aoko hated Kaitou Kid with all her might and Kaito would never risk their friendship.

“That’s a pity.” Kazuha said in disappointment.

“That thief is good for nothing,” Aoko stated. 

“Hey, Aoko, that’s harsh.” Kaito said. Hearing that from his best friend certainly didn’t help.

“Kaito is Kid’s fan.” Aoko said, annoyed.

“It’s because we’re both magicians.” Kaito explained.

“Oooh, you’re magician?” Kazuha asked.

Kaito smirked. “I am.” He got up from his chair and went to the counter. He returned with a plastic cup of coffee. Kaito showed the cup around. “This is coffee, right?”

“Yes,” the girls nodded. The plastic cup was full with black liquid. No one would miss the smell of coffee too.

“Watch this.” He shook the cup and the liquid slowly disappeared, replaced by coins.

Kogoro, Ran, Kazuha and Aoko were stunned.

“Wow!” Kazuha said.

“That’s great.” Ran said.

Aoko inspected the coins. “And the coins are real. How did you do it?” she asked in genuine confusion.

“It’s only a simple trick,” he said.

“Hey, Meitantei.” Kaito said. “Don’t spoil the fun.”

Hattori perked up at this.

“Do you really know the trick behind this?” Kazuha asked curiously.

“Of course,” he replied.

“Tell us!” Kazuha said.

He looked at Kaito. Kaito shrugged at him.

“To create this trick you need one large cup, one smaller cup, a sponge, a bag of coins and a ball of newspaper.” He explained.

“There will be a small hole under the large cup, small enough so that your finger can fit through,” Hattori added.

“Put the sponge in the large cup, covering the hole. Next, put the smaller cup in the large cup tightly and make sure you cover the sides. Then, take the newspaper and stuff it in the small cup. The purpose of having newspaper is to make the cup lighter, so you don't need a lot of coins for this. Next pour in the coins in, it should stay above the newspaper. Make sure it’s on a suitable level, slightly below the surface of the large cup. Now, you can pour in coffee, make sure its thick enough that you cannot see the coin inside,” he explained.

“Put your middle finger in the hole, make sure it looks like you are just supporting the cup from below, but actually one of your finger is in the hole. Now, slowly push your finger upwards causing the smaller cup to move up without being noticed. Make sure you practice this part well. The coffee will now sip between the gap on the 2 cups.” Hattori helped with the explanation. "The sponge will absorb the coffee."

“This will create the illusion that the coffee turns to coin instantly.” He finished.

“Detectives...” Kaito muttered. He sounded half annoyed and half amused.

The girls looked at both of them and then started laughing.

“What?” he and Hattori demanded in unison.

The girls laughed louder at this.

“What is so funny?” he demanded.

“What is it?” Hattori asked, annoyed.

“Both of you are so cute.” Ran said, still giggling.

“You finished each other sentence like that,” Kazuha snickered.

So, what? He and Hattori were used to it whenever they solved case together.

“Excuse me? Are you Mouri Kogoro?”

They all turned to the source of the voice.

A beautiful woman in her fifty stood before them. “I’m Ogata Sayaka.” She bowed. “Pleased to meet you all.”

While she and Kogoro talked, the girls started muttering in the background. “Isn’t she a famous retired actress?” Kazuha asked.

“Yes,” Ran nodded. “She actually asks for out help because she knows Shinichi’s mother.”

“I always forgot that Kudo-kun’s mother was a famous actress.” Kazuha commented.

“Famous actress?” Aoko asked.

“Yes,” Ran answered. “She’s known for her beauty too. She’s really pretty.”

His mother was pretty and she was very vain too. Or at least, in his opinion.

Kogoro then came to tell them to get ready.

“Ogata-san, is it alright for us to join you?” Aoko asked.

“It’s fine,” Ogata Sayaka replied. “My villa is big enough for all of us. I have four guest rooms so you don’t need to worry,” she said, smiling. “And call me Sayaka.”

“Thank you, Sayaka-san.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

Lake Biwa was the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture, northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. The area of this lake was about 670 km². It served as a reservoir for the cities of Kyoto and Ōtsu and was a valuable resource for nearby textile industries. It provided drinking water for about 15 million people in the Kansai region. Lake Biwa was a breeding ground for freshwater fish, including trout, and for the pearl culture industry. It was also home to many popular beaches along the north-western shore.

Sayaka’s villa was located in the outskirt of Otsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture.

They used two cars to go there. In the first car were Kogoro Mouri, Ran, Kazuha and Heiji. Meanwhile, he, Kaito, Aoko and Ogata Sayaka were in the second car.

Aoko sat in the front while he and Kaito sat in the back seat.

 

 

SH: You’re scheming.

AL: So little confidence.

SH: You’re up to something dastardly. And I don’t think I’m going to like it.

AL: Trust me, dearest.

 

He narrowed his eyes at Kaito. He had told Kaito about this trip and Kaito orchestrated it so that he could join it. But, for what?

Kaito offered him a slow, teasing smile in return.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

They arrived one hour later.

“It’s pretty,” Aoko muttered, staring at the big European style villa which was owned by the retired actress.

He looked around. Sayaka told them that there were about fifty villas there, all owned by Tokyoites. Half of them were in retirement and chose to reside in warm place while the other half only came to Lake Biwa for holiday a few times a year.

“Yeah,” Kazuha agreed.

Sayaka smiled at them. “We also have a private beach.”

The beach itself was beautiful. The water was amazingly clear and blue, and was animated by soft waves.

“I don’t bring swimming suit with me,” Kazuha muttered.

“There are a lot of shops at the public beach,” Sayaka informed. “It’s about fifteen minutes walk from there. You can buy swimming suit there. Now, come in.”

Sayaka ushered them into the villa. The living room was huge with tall windows.

“Now, about the room...”

Kogoro had his own room and the girls wanted to share one room. That left him, Kaito and Hattori.

“I have two rooms left.” Sayaka said. “Is it alright if you have the room by yourself?” She certainly planned for Kaito and Hattori who were in the same age to stay in the same bedroom.

“I can accompany him,” Kaito offered.

Judging from his face, it was obvious Hattori had the same idea. Kaito knew it too so he offered first.

“Conan-kun?” Sayaka asked.

“It’s fine, Sayaka-san,” he replied and gave her childish smile.

“Here’s the key,” Sayaka gave the key of their room to Kaito and then the remaining key to Hattori.

Hattori looked betrayed. He must expect him to refuse Kaito and room with Hattori instead.

“Have a rest,” Sayaka told them. “I’ll call when the dinner is ready.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

He locked the door as soon as they were inside.

“Finally,” Kaito said and sat on the bed. “I thought that Sonoko and Tantei-chan would come with you.”

He put his glasses on the table next to the bed and joined Kaito. There was only one bed in the room. “Sonoko rarely join us if there’s Hattori,” he replied. “Besides that, she went to visit her sister. And Ran doesn’t invite people to her father’s case.” He considered for a while. “I think she knows who I really am.”

“Who?” Kaito asked, instantly alerted.

“Masumi Sera.” He replied. “It’s as if I’ve met her in the past but I don’t remember it.”

“Should I be worried?”

“She’s alright,” he said. “I never feel ill intent from her.”

“That’s good to know,” Kaito said and slipped an arm around his waist and captured his mouth in a brief, intense kiss.

“Do you mind telling me what this is all about?” he asked, fixing Kaito with a speculative look once the kiss ended.

Someone knocked the door.

Smirking, Kaito gestured for him to open it.

He could guess who their guest was.

“Yo, Kudo!”  Hattori said.

He sighed and motioned Hattori inside.

“Err...I mean kid, kid.” Hattori said, trying to cover his mistake.

He closed the door and turned around. Seriously, Hattori never learned.

“Shinichi,” Kaito said abruptly.

“What?” he asked automatically.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Kaito asked with a sly expression on his face.

Ah, so this was what Kaito planned. Kaito wanted to meet Hattori, actually meeting Hattori.He sighed inwardly. One way or the other, the secret would get out. Hattori was a detective like him. It was better to tell Hattori now before he had some epiphany in public place. Hattori and his loud mouth were a lethal combination. Besides that, he and Hattori was best friend. Hattori helped him all this time. The other teen also knew about his struggle with Black Organization. And since Kaito was the one who started it, it seemed that Kaito decided that Hattori could be trusted.

“I suppose re-introduction is in order,” he said with careful nonchalance.

“What’s going on in here?” Hattori asked, glancing from him to Kaito and back to him again.

“Kaito, this is my best friend, Hattori Heiji.” He said.“Hattori, this is Kaito, my boyfriend.”

And as if to prove a point, Kaito swooped down to kiss his right cheek.

Hattori was stunned. The expression on his face was quite comical. Shinichi would have laughed if the situation wasn’t that serious.

 

Author’s Note

  


Hi, everyone!

 _Waldszenen_  ("Forest Scenes"), Opus 82, is a set of nine short solo piano pieces composed by Robert Schumann.

Cystal Mother heist is written by Aoyama Gosho. I added a few facts. There isn’t much about Ingram in the anime so I modelled it after Liechtenstein. And the thing that always happens in the anime, the Queen and her son could speak Japanese perfectly. But in my fic, they only speak German and English. 

Heiji and Kazuha speak in Kansai dialect but I don’t know how to write it so they speak normally here. Just pretend that they use Kansai dialect all the time.

Next is case fic. I don’t like case part actually since it lack of feeling and interaction. The next chapter is even longer than this one. Typing it will take hours. I already finished this arc anc actually working on Rhapsody in Blue.

Thank you for reading and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. Also there are quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources.

**Waldszenen**

 

Chapter III

"What? How? Why?” Hattori stuttered out. “You- He...”

 

“I think you broke him,” Kaito said. He sounded very amused.

“You’re not helping here.” He muttered. This was Kaito’s fault for springing this on him without any warning. The least Kaito could do was giving him a hand there.

“But Shin-chan, this is more fun!” Kaito commented mischievously.

“Your definition of humour is much skewed,” he grumbled.

“Awww, Shin-chan. You flatter me.”

“That wasn’t a compliment,” he returned icily.

Hattori stared at them in bewilderment. “You’re...” the teen gestured helplessly, “and he’s...”

“Speak clearly, Hattori,” he instructed.

“You’re eleven year old boy!” Hattori exclaimed, sounding the slightest bit incredulous.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m older than both of you,” he reminded them.

“Does Nee-chan know about this?” Hattori demanded.

There was a moment’s pause in which he and Kaito gave Hattori a blank, incredulous look. He truly hoped that Hattori was joking or he would question his counterpart intelligence. Kaito on the other hand, didn’t have the same restriction as Shinichi.

“He isn’t very bright, is he?” Kaito drawled out. “Whoever bestowed him with ‘Detective of the West’ title needed to be questioned.”

“Hey!” Hattori bristled.

He sighed inwardly. That was always a sore point for Hattori whenever someone doubted his ability. “Kaito knows who I really am,” he explained.

“It isn’t that hard to deduce,” Kaito added.

Yes, thank you Kaito. That wasn’t helpful at all. If it was that easy to find out about his real identity, he would be in danger.

Hattori stared in disbelief at two of them.

“You’re supposed to be Shinichi’s best friend.” Kaito said, his voice crisp and chilled.

Hattori started in surprise, looking at Kaito with wide eyes. “I am his best friend!” the teen retorted.

Kaito raised his eyebrow inquiringly.

Hattori deflated. “I’m...sorry,” he said at last. “I know that you’re seventeen, Kudo. But...” he waved his hand, as if that would explain everything.

Shinichi didn’t blame Hattori. Physically, he looked like eleven year old boy.

Then, Hattori frowned. “Where did both of you meet?”

“We met during winter holiday.” He replied. Technically, it was the first time that he met Kaito as Kaito. “Didn’t Ran already tell you that?”

Hattori snorted. “That might be your official meeting but it is obvious that you both know each other before that. You’re too familiar with each other.”

“We met at one of those heists,” Kaito offered.

He turned to look at Kaito. Had Kaito gone mad? Why did he bring out about heist in front of Hattori?

“At Kid’s heist?” Hattori frowned. “You and Nee-chan never say anything about this.”

He looked at Hattori, waiting for Hattori to make the connection.

“Heist?” Hattori’s eyes widened in realization. “You’re-?” Then he burst out laughing.

What was so funny? “Oi! Hattori!”

“I can’t believe it!” Hattori rasped out between bouts of laughs. “You! Heisei Holmes! And him! This must be the funniest joke ever!”

He contemplated to kick Hattori in the shin. The crazed laughter started to get annoying.

Someone knocked the door. “Heiji! Are you there?”

It was Kazuha.

“Conan-kun! Kaito-kun! Dinner is ready!” This time it was Ran who called them.

“Yes, Ran-neechan,” he replied.

“Hurry up!” Kazuha ordered.

They waited until the girls left.

“I’ll explain it to you later,” he told Hattori resignedly.

“You better be,” Hattori grumbled.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

“This house is really beautiful,” Aoko said at dinner. The rooms at the villa were given a bright and airy feel through their tall windows and soothing colour themes.

“Thank you,” Sayaka replied, smiling. “The truth is, I bought this villa a few months ago when I retired from entertainment industry.”

They were seated on the long dining table with Sayaka sitting on the head table. Mouri Kogoro sat next to her.

Ran, Aoko and Kazuha had helped Sayaka with the cooking earlier. It turned out that Sayaka also had a helper, an old woman named Chiyo who came there to help with cooking and cleaning.

“Lake Biwa is famous for its fish.” Sayaka explained, smiling. “I thought you will like it.”

He looked at Kaito who tried his best to act normal. He knew Kaito could do it if the other teen wanted to. Kaito was a master of acting after all.

Thankfully, they made fish steak so Kaito didn’t need to see the fish in its original form.

“It’s delicious!” Kogoro commented after the first bite.

“Thank you,” Sayaka replied.

He had to admit that the fish was really delicious.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

After dinner, Sayaka led them all to the living room. “We’re going to the lake,” she said suddenly.

“Eh?”

“Now?”

“But it’s already dark.” Kogoro said.

“I can’t explain it if you don’t witness it by yourself.This case...” Sayaka said. “Please trust me.”

“You girls can stay here if you’re afraid,” Hattori suggested.

“What?” Ran exclaimed.

“No way!” Kazuha responded hotly.

“We’re coming with you,” Aoko said determinedly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

That decided, Sayaka led them to the dock. It turned out that she also had a motorboat. She brought them as close as she could to the red brick building in Georgian architecture located in the cliff. The house had a tower on its right front facade.

“The Red Tower mansion,” Sayaka said, pointing at the house. “That’s how the locals call the house.”

At that moment, a shrill wailing sound drifted across the water.

"What is that?” Aoko blurted out.

Suddenly, a light appeared in a lower window of the tower. The light faded from view, the reappeared in the next window up, then a still higher one, as if someone were ascending a stairway inside the tower.

“Look!” Kazuha pointed. Her face had gone pale.

A white, luminous figure emerged on the narrow walkway that surrounded the top of the tower. The figure wore what looked like a white gown. For a few moments, the figure shimmered in the darkness. Then it faded swiftly from view.

“What was that?” Kogoro asked.

“That must be a ghost!” Ran said.

“Yeah.” Kazuha nodded in agreement. “Heiji! Let’s go back!”

“Heh. Interesting,” Kaito muttered.

“Indeed,” Hattori said with excitement in his voice.

The girls though looked really afraid.

“I want to go back!” Ran demanded.

“We must go back before the ghost show up again.” Aoko said in agreement.

“I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation,” he offered.

“But Conan-kun,” Kazuha argued, “you saw the ghost earlier.”

“Let’s go back to the house,” Sayaka suggested. “And I’ll explain everything.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

They gathered at the living room. Sayaka had gone to call Chiyo who knew more about the situation since she was born and lived there.

“That was really scary,” Ran commented.

“Yeah.” Aoko and Kazuha nodded in agreement.

Sayaka returned with Chiyo in tow.

“Chiyo-san,” Sayaka said. “Please tell them about what you know.”

Chiyo cleared her throat and said. “What you saw was the White Lady.”

“White Lady?” Kogoro echoed.

“The Red Tower mansion was built by Saburou Akami. His family owned a steel company back then. Akami was well known by his love of classical music. Soon after the house was built, he moved into it with his wife, Akami Minako. She was a member of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Unfortunately, he was then in the early stages of mental illness. He was intensely jealous of his wife and had fits of rage in which he actually attacked her.”

Ran gasped.

“He attacked her?”

“What happened then?”

“On one occasion, they were seen struggling on top of the mansion tower. Because of his violent temper, the servants left one by one and finally his brother, Kotarou came to stay with them in order to keep eye on Saburou. The unhappy situation ended in tragedy as his wife was found drowned at the foot of the cliff, just below the house.”

“Do you suppose Saburou killed her?” Aoko asked, wide eyed.

“Many people suspected as much,” Chiyo replied. “But there was testimony that Minako had been given to sleepwalking, so her fall may have been an accident. Kotarou even claimed that his brother had been saving her from such a fall when they were seen struggling on top of the tower. And of course, there was the possibility that she may have committed suicide. At any rate,” Chiyo said, looking pleased at the way she had gripped the attention of her audience. “It was soon after Minako’s death the strangest development of all occurred.”

“What was that?” Kogoro asked curiously.

“The tower began to emit strange musical sounds. It’s quite beautiful.” Chiyo answered.

“Really?” Hattori asked sceptically.

“All of us who lived there forty year ago heard it.” Chiyo replied. “People said that the music was being produced by Minako’s ghost.”

“What happened to Saburou?” Aoko questioned.

"He went completely insane and died not long after his wife’s death.” Chiyo said. “Kotarou moved away a few years later and the house was purchased by Matsui Isamu. He and his wife, Matsui Nagako moved there. Isamu died a few years ago and since then, his widow, Nagako, has been living there in the mansion.”

“By herself?” Hattori asked.

Chiyo frowned thoughtfully. “Well, no. She has servants and gardener. But we don’t really know about her since she seldom goes out nowadays.”

“Chiyo-san told me that the music stopped when Kotarou moved away. It only recently started again.” Sayaka said.

“But this time, the beautiful musical sounds changed to a wailing, such as you heard last night.” Chiyo added.

“That’s why I asked for you help, Mouri-san,” Sayaka said. “You see...I came to this villa at spring holiday a few weeks ago and during boating, I saw an old lady leaning out the window, screaming for help.”

“What?” Kogoro exclaimed. “An old lady?”

“Saw and heard.” Sayaka said. “I assume that it was Nagako-san.”

“Then what happened?” he asked.

“I went to the mansion but the keeper there said that Nagako-san is going senile in her old age. I tried again a few times but each time I was turned away.” Sayaka explained. “I even went to police station but...” she trailed off, shrugging, “they don’t quite believe me.”

“We should go to the mansion tomorrow,” Kogoro concluded.

“Yeah,” Hattori nodded.

“I’m coming too,” Kaito said.

“Eh?” Aoko started in surprise.

Hattori narrowed his eyes at Kaito.

“I want to see real investigation,” Kaito said innocently.

“Fine,” Kogoro said, “but don’t disturb the investigation.”

“Otousan!” Ran glared at her father.

Sayaka turned to the girls. “You can go swimming or visiting the public beach area tomorrow. There are many interesting shops there.”

“Really?”

“Sounds fun.”

“I think all of us should go to rest now,” Sayaka said again.

“Yeah.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

They returned to each of their designed room but Hattori dragged him to his room to demand explanation. So, he told Hattori about the Bell Tree Express incident and the confrontation with the member of Black Organization.

“What?” Hattori exclaimed. “That guy works at Poirott Cafe?”

“He’s actually an undercover police from Japanese Secret Police.” He replied.

“Japanese Secret Police? What is next, MI6?” Hattori muttered. “And why didn’t you call me?” the Osakan demanded to know. “I would come right away to help you!”

Then he told Hattori about how Kaito had helped him back then. Of course, at that time, he blackmailed Kaito. Not that he would tell Hattori that. Then he proceeded to tell Hattori about their texting interaction and the meeting at Yuzawa ski resort.

“I still think that you have lost your mind,” Hattori declared.

“Oi! Oi!” he protested.

“But, if you...like him,” Hattori looked pained to say those words. “Then it’s your business. And as I said before, I don’t care about his, err, activity.”

He was relieved that Hattori could accept his relationship with Kaito.

“Hey, Kudo, what do you think about the ghost?” Hattori asked, changing the topic.

Now, this was a better topic for both of them.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

After discussing the case with Hattori, he returned to his own room.

“Alright, Shinichi?” Kaito asked.

He locked the door and then joined Kaito on the bed. “Yeah,” he replied. “Hattori is hot-headed but I know he has my back.”

Kaito hummed a little.

He glared at Kaito. “You should tell me about your plan first,” he grumbled. That would save him a lot of trouble.

“Now, where is the fun in that?” Kaito said, smirking.

“Hmph.”

“So, what do you think about the supposed White Lady?” Kaito asked.

“It’s a trick,” he replied.

“Got any ideas?”

“A few,” he admitted. “Hattori is suspicious about this whole ghost thing too.”

“East versus West, eh?” Kaito said with a sly grin on his face. “I’ve heard about your little competition. You have my full support, Shin-chan.”

“Really?” he asked sarcastically.

“Of course,” Kaito said. “Heisei Holmes has no more ardent admirer than….myself.”

“You’re mangling Lupin’s quote,” he muttered.

Kaito’s grin, if anything, grew wider. “But I plan to steal more than your watch,” Kaito said and leaned forward to kiss him.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

The next day, they went to Red Tower mansion after breakfast. The mansion was situated on 100 hectares of land with its own private beach.

Kogoro drove along the winding drive to the mansion itself. They got out of the car and made their way to the front door.

Kaito pressed the doorbell.

They waited for a few moments.

No response.

Kaito pressed the doorbell again.

A moment later, the door was opened by a surly looking man.

“We’d like to speak with Matsui Nagako-san, please.” Kogoro said.

“Matsui-san is too frail to talk,” the man replied. “I apologize but you must leave.”

Before Kogoro could reply, the door was slammed in his face.

This was suspicious indeed.

“What the hell was that?” Hattori muttered.

“That bastard!” Kogoro growled and started to press the doorbell repeatedly.

He wanted to groan.

Kaito glanced at him.

He shrugged.

The door opened. “I told you to leave!” the surly man bellowed.

When the man was busy arguing with Kogoro and Hattori, he took out his phone and pretended to make a call while in reality; he was taking the picture of the surly man.

Hattori cursed when the door was slammed in his face.

Kaito looked very amused at the choice of Hattori’s words.

“Let’s go then,” he suggested.

Once they were on the car, he showed them the picture he had taken. “Hattori,” he began. “Can you send this to Inspector Otaki? Ask him to look around.”

“Sure,” Hattori replied readily. “That guy is suspicious. He’s probably a wanted criminal.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Their next destination is local police department. The officer in charge there, Ando Hajime, had heard about the famous ‘Sleeping Mouri Kogorou’ and was eager to help.

“We’re very concerned about Nagako-san’s wellbeing.” Kaito said.

Kaito was always a smooth talker. It was better to leave diplomatic talking to him than Hattori.

“We want to know about the qualifications for taking care of the old lady.” He added.

A blank puzzled look spread over Ando’s face. “You mean Aizen Masao and his wife?” he asked.

“Aizen and his wife?” Kogoro questioned.

“Yes. Both of them work there.” Ando answered.

They didn’t meet the wife earlier.

“And what sort of qualification are we talking about?” Ando asked in confusion.

“Aizen said that Nagako-san is a frail old man,” he replied. “Doesn’t that sound as though she needs skilled nursing care?”

Ando gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t know much about Aizen and his wife. They’re not locals. They came here about three months ago to work at the Red Tower. The old servants and gardener were let go when Aizen and his wife took over.”

“Then who hired them?” Hattori asked.

“I think that’s Nagako-san’s solicitor, Tanaka Daisuke.” Ando replied.

He and Hattori exchanged look.

“Thank you for your help, Officer Ando,” Kaito said.

“You know,” Ando said suddenly. “A year ago, a property company wanted to buy the Red Tower mansion for the land since it has private beach. They want to build holiday resort. But Nagako-san refused to sell it.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

Tanaka Daisuke was a local solicitor. His office was located at Otsu so they went to the city.

“Tanaka Law Firm. Number 31..” Kogoro muttered. “Where is it?”

“There!” Hattori pointed at a four story building.

Kogoro parked the car and then they got out of it.

“Come on!” Hattori said enthusiastically. He was the first one to enter the building, followed by Kogoro

Kaito shook his head. “Detectives,” he muttered.

“What?” he demanded.

“You and Hattori have the same excitement whenever you guys have a case.” Kaito replied.

That was true actually. He was excited at the prospect of the puzzle.

Kogoro and Hattori were already talking with the receptionist when he and Kaito entered the lobby.

“This way, please,” the receptionist said and led them to Tanaka’s office.

She knocked the door and then opened it.

“Thank you,” Kogoro said.

The receptionist nodded and left.

“What can I do for you, Mouri-san?” Tanaka asked once they’re seated in his office. He was a man in his sixty with grey streaked hair.

“We want to know about your client, Matsui Nagako.” Kogoro replied.

Tanaka however already turned the administration of the estate to his young partner, Kimoto Nozaki. But Kimoto said that he merely put ads looking for servant and Aizen answered it. Kimoto also said that he didn’t see anything suspicious on their CV.

Having exhausted their sources of the day, they decided to return. They were on the journey back to Sayaka’s villa when he said. “Speaking of that wailing sound, how could you make a house emit a beautiful musical sound?”

“Is it loudspeaker or amplifier?” Kogoro suggested.

“That was forty years ago.” Hattori reminded him.

“Hmmm...bell?” Kogoro muttered. “What is it?”

“Curious, isn’t it?” Kaito said.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

“We’re back!”

“We’re in the living room!” Ran yelled.

They went to the living room. Sayaka, Ran, Kazuha and Aoko were having afternoon tea.

Sayaka gestured for them to sit at the empty couch. “How was it?” she asked eagerly.

“We found a few lead,” Hattori answered.

Kogoro frowned to hear it.

“We should go to the Red Tower again tonight,” he said. He wanted to confirm his idea.

“What?” Ran blanched at the suggestion.

“But, Conan-kun...you saw the ghost.” Kazuha said, shuddering in fear.

“You can stay here,” Heiji muttered, annoyed. “Nobody ask you to join us.”

“You can’t leave us alone!” Kazuha protested.

“Make up your mind!” Hattori retorted.

“Heiji!”

“What do you want then?”

They started to bicker.

He rolled his eyes.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

But Ran, Aoko and Kazuha joined them later at night.

“We don’t want to stay in the villa alone.” Kazuha mumbled.

Like yesterday, Sayaka brought them near the cliff. They waited and waited but no wailing sound was heard.

"It has been an hour!” Hattori grumbled.

Ran yawned. The wind was making her sleepy.

“Let’s go back,” Aoko suggested sleepily.

“Just wait a moment,” Kaito replied.

Another ten minutes. This time it was Hattori who yawned.

“Look at that!” Sayaka said sharply.

A glowing light could be seen ascending the tower stairs. Moments later, the spectre emerged atop the tower, but this time she was not alone. Besides her, rose a tall, dark, long haired figure. The dark figure grabbed her and appeared to struggle with her. Then, as they watched in horror, the dark figure raised her in both hands and hurled her toward the rock strewn waters below. The shimmering figure plunged downward and vanished with a splash into the lake.

The girls gasped.

“Go in closer!” he instructed.

Sayaka used the boat spotlight to search the figure but nothing was seen.

“Was that the ghost of Minako?” Kogoro asked.

He glanced upward. The dark figure was no longer visible on the tower walkway.

“Was it how she died years ago?” Ran whispered in a low voice.

“That must be it!” Aoko responded.

“Let’s go back!” Kazuha suggested. “I don’t want to be here any longer.”

Seriously. Ran was a karate champion and Kazuha was a master practitioner of aikido. He didn’t know about Aoko but he supposed she had to have something to survive Kaito for so long. But why did they always fear about this supernatural thing in every case they encountered even though it was proven fake later?

There was nothing they could do there so they returned to the house.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

“Hey, Shin-chan!”

“Hmm?” he replied absentmindedly.

“You’re still thinking about the case, huh?”

“Ah,” he blinked at Kaito. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Kaito looked at him fondly.  

“I still don’t know how the house emitted a sound,” he admitted.

“But you already found out the trick behind the ghost appearance,” Kaito guessed correctly.

“Yes,” he replied. “But you know about that too.”

“It’s only a simple trick.” Kaito said.

It was true. And as Kaitou Kid, Kaito had come with numerous tricks at his heists.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

The next morning, he was woken up by the pounding of the door. “Wake up!” It was Hattori’s voice.

“What does he want now?” Kaito mumbled.

He sighed and went to open the door.

“Look!” Hattori shoved his phone.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Inspector Ozaki sent this!” Hattori said excitedly. “I am right! Aizen and his wife turn out to be wanted criminals! They’re con artist!”

“What? Where?” He grabbed the phone from Hattori’s hand and started to read the file Inspector Ozaki had sent them.

Oh. So, that was it. Now, all he had to do was to find out how the house emitted a musical sound. Or, it wasn’t the house...could it be a musical instrument? An idea was forming at the back of his mind. He opened web browser and started searching.

“Oi Kudo! You found something?” Hattori asked.

“Looks like he has found the culprit,” Kaito said, smirking.

“What? How do you know about that?” Hattori demanded.

“He has that smug smirk on his face,” Kaito said fondly. “It’s his trademark expression whenever he solves a puzzle.”

He lifted his head to glare at Kaito. He didn’t have a smug smirk on his face! And he didn’t have a trademark expression too! What a ridiculous idea! He and Kaito would have a talk about this later.

“Is it true?” Hattori demanded.

Urgh. Hattori was always so impatient. It was a bad habbit for detective to have. When would Hattori realize it? There! He finally found the information he was looking for.

“Kudo?” Hattori prompted.

“I found it! The secret behind the wailing house,” he said. “Now hurry up! We must save Nagako-san.”

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

In fifteen minutes, the whole occupants of the house were ready for the rescue mission. Officer Ando from the local police station had been called and they were going to meet at the Red Tower mansion.

Aizen and his wife didn’t try to resist when polices showed up to catch them. An investigation by the police also revealed that they were hired by Kimoto Nozaki, the junior partner at Tanaka Law Firm to scare Nagako-san.

As Ando ordered his subordinates to catch Kimoto, they searched for Nagako-san.

Aizen had informed that the main bedroom was in the second floor.

Kogoro opened the door.

He could see an old woman asleep in a huge four poster bed. They had found Nagako.

“I’ll tell the police.” Kogoro said.

“Call doctor too!” Hattori added. They had to prepare for the worst. What if Aizen had drugged the old lady?

Kogoro nodded and left.

Shinichi looked around him. In one corner stood a writing desk with a telephone on it. If Nagako was being kept against her will, why wouldn’t she use the phone to call for help?

Kaito lifted the handset.

He raised his eyebrow.

Kaito shook his head. “There is no dial tone,” he said.

“Oi! Kudo!” Hattori called. “Look at this!”

Hattori had found a hidden speaker. The cable led outside the room where they found a hidden buttons.

Hattori pressed the ‘Play’ button and a male voice was heard. “ _Nagako...I love you....Nagako.._ .” the voice whispered. _“Come with me..._ ”

Nagako woke up with a scream.

“Hattori!” he shouted.

Hattori immediately pressed ‘Stop’ button. The recording stopped playing. But it was too late. The recording had woken up Nagako who was hysterical now. “Isamu..” she said brokenly.

Kaito hurriedly went over to calm her down. “It’s alright,” he said soothingly. “It’s alright, Nagako-san. We’re with the police. You’re safe now.”

Nagako stared at him.

“We have caught the bad guys. They won’t disturb you again.” Kaito continued in a low, calming voice.

“But Isamu...my husband..” Nagako whispered.

“That recording is fake,” Kaito replied. “They wanted to scare you.”

“Fake?” Nagako asked.

“Yes.” Kaito answered firmly. “Your late husband loved you very much, Nagako-san. Wherever he is now, he wants you to be taken care and cherished.”

He and Hattori looked at the scene in front of them.

“He has his way with words,” Hattori commented.

“Yeah,” he admitted. Kaito always knew the right things to say in any situation. And he was glad Kaito was with him now.

“What happened?” Kogoro demanded as he returned with Ando in tow. Ran, Kazuha, Aoko and Sayaka were behind him as well.

“We heard a scream.” Ando said.

“Is that Nagako-san?” Ran asked.

“It is her!” Sayaka said. “I saw her screaming for help.”

“I accidently scared her,” Hattori admitted.

“What?” Kazuha demanded.

“We didn’t know about the speaker,” he explained.

“Speaker? What speaker?” Kogoro asked.

“Aizen and his wife hid a speaker inside Nagako-san’s room. They put the control outside so they could play a fake recording of male’s voice, pretending to be her dead husband to scare her.”

“Scumbags!” Aoko said angrily.

“How could they do that to her?” Ran said.

“Despicable human!” that came from Kazuha.

“Have you called a doctor?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kogoro answered. “The doctor is on her way.”

“Good,” he replied.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

Two hours later, everyone gathered in Nagako-san’s living room to hear explanation about the case. The doctor who had been called by the police had checked Nagako-san and declared her to be healthy physically. She ordered Nagako to rest but the old lady refused and insisted that she want to join the others.

Chiyo-san and Tanaka Daisuke also joined them. The old solicitor had been the executor of Matsui’s will with instructions to look after his widow and keep an eye on her finances.

“I guess I’m getting old,” Tanaka admitted grudgingly, “and too slack about running my law practice. So I turned the administration of the estate over to my young partner, Honda.”

Honda had wormed his way into the Nagako’s good graces, hoping to con her into making a will in his favour. But she refused to sign. So, Honda had hired Aizen and his wife to scare Nagako into signing the will. Then they intended to frighten her to such a state that she could be declared mentally incompetent. Honda then would take over and sell the house and the land to the property company that planned to build a resort there.

“Nagako-san, why didn’t you call for help?” Ran asked gently.

“Most of the time, Aizen and his wife kept the extension switched off,” Hattori explained. “And they ruined her cell phone charger.”

“What about the wailing sound?” Kazuha asked. “How did they produce that?”

“The secret of this house,” he explained, “is an old wind powered musical instrument, an Aeolian harp.”

“My husband discovered the wind harp after we bought this house,” Nagako said. “We also found Kotarou-san’s notebook. He was the one who installed the Aeolian harp after the death of his brother’s wife to sooth his regret. The wailing sound came because the wind harp is broken.”

“We suspect that Aizen found the notebook when he moved in. He got his idea from it,” Hattori added.

“But what about the White Lady ghost?” Kazuha asked in confusion.

“It was done with a balloon,” Kaito replied.

“A balloon?” the girls’ echoed incredulously.

“You’re saying that the ghost was a balloon?” Sayaka questioned in disbelief.

“It was an inflated rubber figure. When we saw it shrink and disappear, it was simply deflating,” he explained.

“But, how could something that light is thrown clear down the cliff?” Ran asked, puzzled.

“With a lead weight or sinker. A cord was attached so the deflated figure could be retrieved,” he added.

“Actually, they tried to scare you, Sayaka-san,” Hattori said.

“Eh?” Sayaka was surprised. “Me? Why?”

“You became so concerned about Nagako-san that they wanted to frighten you away,” Hattori replied.

“I see,” Kogoro muttered thoughtfully. “She could find out the truth about Nagako-san’s situation and ruin their plan.”

“But I called you,” Sayaka said, “and here we’re now.”

“Thank you,” Nagako said softly, “for rescuing me.”

“It’s nothing,” Kogoro said and laughed loudly with his chest puffed out.

Hattori rolled his eyes.

He was glad that the case ended well.

 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 

Sayaka insisted that they stayed at her house for a few days for holiday since they hadn’t visited attraction places around Lake Biwa. Mouri Kogorou as expected took the offer.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Kaito declared.

He only hoped he would survive the next few days with both Kaito and Hattori.

 

Author’s Note:

  


Hi, everyone!

 _Waldszenen_  ("Forest Scenes"), Opus 82, is a set of nine short solo piano pieces composed by Robert Schumann.

This is it. The case fic. The case here came from ‘The Wailing House’ book. Like I stated before, I don’t actually like case fic since it lack interaction between characters. Naming these original characters is also hard.

The next will be Osaka’s sightseeing, Shinichi juggling between his boyfriend and his best friend plus his birthday. I actually planned to have it post at 4th May but well...

Thank you for reading and please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are owned by Aoyama Gosho. I don't make money from writing this fanfiction. The story contains spoiler for Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. Also there are quotes from manga, anime, wiki and other sources.

**Clair de Lune**

Chapter XIV: Waldszenen Part IV

Hattori Heiji was surprised to see Kuroba Kaito for the first time. That guy could pass as Kudo Shinichi's twin brother for sure. But no, Kuroba was just a normal teen even though he looked like Kudo. Kuroba also turned out to be a magician. But the trick with coffee and coins was a basic trick that it almost made him laugh.

Of course, nothing stayed simple around Kudo. Heiji got the shock of his life when Kudo re-introduced Kuroba as his boyfriend. What? Kudo got a boyfriend? How the hell had this happened? Had Kudo gone insane? Heiji's head hurt from thinking. And then, Kudo dropped the next bomb. Kaitou Kid. That thief was Kudo's boyfriend? The so called Heisei Holmes dated a wanted thief? How? Why? Didn't Kudo always go to help Advisor Suzuki against Kid in those heists of his?

But as he said before, he wasn't interested in thievery. Homicide was a more challenging. His objection came from the fact that Kuroba was Kaitou Kid, the thief that Kudo had foiled several times before. What if this was a ploy from Kuroba? Oh. Heiji would watch Kuroba like a hawk.

His Kuroba's watching went well because Kuroba tagged along with them during the case. Kuroba was even helpful. They solved the case quickly and Heiji was elated because of it. And so far, Kuroba didn't do anything suspicious.

When he and Kudo returned to the living room, Kuroba and the girls were busy talking about what they were going to do the next day. Kuroba was truly a smooth talker. In two days, he and Kazuha acted as if they were childhood friends and called each other by first name. Heiji always knew about Kaitou Kid's suave and charming personality but to witness it by his own eyes was a different matter.

"Does he always behave like this?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kudo replied dryly. "If there's a file he wants to see in a filing cabinet guarded by a pretty secretary, all he has to do is switch on his charmer persona, and he has not only the file he wants, but also the secretary's phone number."

"That really explain everything," he muttered. Kudo wasn't exaggerating. Heiji truly believe Kaitou Kid was able to do that. It was no wonder why Kid had so many female admirers. And what about Kudo? Was he alright with this?

"Let's go swimming tomorrow," Kazuha suggested.

"Swimming?"

Heiji however didn't miss the look both Kudo and Aoko gave to Kuroba. What? Couldn't Kuroba swim?

"Ran-neechan." Kudo began in his childish voice. "I don't want to swim."

"Eh?"

"But-"

"I want to see Hikone Castle." Kudo said.

The girls stared at each other. "Well, we already went swimming yesterday." Ran said.

"I guess Hikone Castle isn't a bad idea."

Aoko nodded.

"Fine. We'll go to Hikone Castle tomorrow."

"Thanks, Ran-neechan." Kudo replied, smiling brightly.

"You should visit Nagahama too," Sayaka-san suggested. "The town is famous for its glass art."

So it was decided that they would visit Hikone and Nagahama the next day.

Kogoro however declined, saying that he wanted to go to beach by himself. Ran snorted at that. It was no doubt that he wanted to ogle the girls there.

Kazuha yawned.

"You should go to sleep," he muttered.

"I know," Kazuha replied.

One by one, they left the living room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm sleepy," Kuroba muttered.

"Then go to sleep," Kudo retorted.

They had reached the door of their own respective rooms.

"Are you sure you guys aren't related?" he blurted out. The first time Heiji saw Kuroba, he thought that he was Kudo. Didn't it feel weird for Kudo to look at his own face? Even their voices were similar.

Kudo and Kuroba exchanged look.

"No," Kudo was the one who replied.

"He could pass as your twin," Heiji muttered.

"That's part of the charm," Kuroba added with a smirk. "It makes thing interesting."

What? Urgh. Heiji regretted he ever brought the matter forward. He didn't want to know.

"Kaito!" Kudo scowled at his boyfriend.

"But that's true," Kuroba retorted. His smirk widened.

Kudo rolled his eyes in exasperation.

There was one thing that Heiji noticed too. Kuroba acted in a different way when he was around Kudo. Kuroba must be a genius to come with all those heists plans. He was also able to evade police for this long. And yet, from his observation when Kuroba was around people the other teen never gave hint of being incredibly smart.

"Goodnight, Hattori." Kudo said.

"Goodnight," he replied automatically. Kudo and Kuroba…Two people who had hidden identity. Was that how everything started?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, they went to Hikone Castle. It was a Japanese Edo-period castle in the city of Hikone, in Shiga Prefecture. It was considered the most significant historical building in Shiga. Hikone was one of only 12 Japanese castles with the original keep, and one of only four castles listed as a national treasure. The next was Genkyu-en Garden, a garden at the foot of the castle. The garden contained a sprawling villa built in the Chinese Tang dynasty style in 1677 for the fourth lord of Hikone.

On their way out the castle complex, they passed souvenirs shop. The shop sold many white cat dolls with samurai helmet.

"What is that?" Aoko asked curiously.

"This is Hikonyan," the shopkeeper replied, "Hikone's castle official mascot."

"Oh."

"Hikonyan is created in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Hikone Castle," the shopkeeper continued. "The character design is derived from a legend concerning Ii Naotaka, the 3rd Lord of Hikone. The Daimyo was beckoned by a white cat to seek shelter from a storm in a temple, and thus saved from a lightning strike."

"They're really cute." Aoko muttered, looking at the arrays of the cat dolls.

"Do you want it?" Kuroba asked suddenly.

"Eh?" Aoko turned to look at her best friend.

"It's my treat," Kuroba replied and turned to Ran and Kazuha. "What about both of you?" he asked, smiling.

"Really?" Ran asked.

"Sure!" Kuroba said.

"You're being nice suddenly," Aoko muttered. "It's kind of suspicious."

"Hey!" Kuroba protested. "I'm always nice!"

The girls laughed at him but they chose the doll they wanted anyway.

"Thanks, Kaito-kun." Kazuha said.

"Thank you, Kaito-kun." Ran said.

Heiji's brow furrowed. What was Kuroba playing at?

"I want that one," Kuroba said suddenly, pointing at the biggest Hikonyan doll in the shop.

Heiji blinked at him, unsure if he'd heard right.

"For this kid," Kuroba continued.

"EH?" Kudo was surprised. He wasn't the only one. That move was totally unexpected. "I don't want a doll!" Kudo protested. It was very understandable.

But Kuroba ignored him and trusted the doll at him. "Here!"

Ran, Kazuha and Aoko giggled at them. If only they knew the real nature of Kudo and Kuroba's relationship, they wouldn't be giggling like that.

"Conan-kun," Ran said, "say thanks to Kaito nii-chan."

"But I don't-"

"Yes," Kuroba said, "say thanks to me."

Kudo glared at his boyfriend. The effect his deathly stare was somewhat lessened by the fact that he was holding a giant Hikonyan doll. Kudo only ended up looking like adorable eleven year old boy.

"Conan-kun?" Ran prodded.

"Thanks, Kaito-niichan," Kudo muttered in a droll tone.

Kuroba grinned at him in satisfaction.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They must take train to their next destination, Nagahama. Kudo sulked during the journey because he had to bring the doll with him. Adults and parents stopped to coo at him which only increased his bad mood.

Heiji was relieved when they arrived at Nagahama. The town was famous for its glass art. There were many places in Kurokabe Square to see, buy and even learn to make glass art. The more well-known were Kurokabe Glass Shop and Studio Kurokabe.

They decided to go Kurokabe Glass Shop. It was two storeys of glass art, jewellery, stemware, glass accessories and sundries.

"Whoa!"

"This place is amazing!"

"Look at this!" Kazuha gestured at the colourful glass flowers.

"Wow!"

"It's really pretty," Ran said.

"That one is pretty too," Kazuha said again.

"Yeah," Aoko said in agreement.

Heiji turned his attention away. Huh? Where were Kudo and Kuroba? He looked around. Oh. They were looking at elegant glass chess set with alternating frosted and clear squares.

"Do you like this?" Kuroba asked.

Kudo nodded.

Kuroba ended up buying it for Kudo. With the glass chess set in his possession, Kudo stopped his sulking. Although it probably came with the fact that Kuroba was now carrying both of the doll and the glass chess for him.

"Glass chess set?" Ran asked once she saw it.

"Err...Shinichi-niichan always wants it so I bought it for him," Kudo lied.

"I didn't know about that," she said.

"He once mentioned it to me," Kudo said and then he brightened. "I'm going to give this doll to Shinichi-niichan too."

"But Conan-kun, Kaito-kun bought it for you," Ran replied.

"It's alright," Kuroba said and then started new topic that Ran totally forgot about the doll matter.

Heiji had never seen anyone who was that exceptionally good with words before. He waited until Kuroba finished talking with Ran and went away to do whatever Kuroba wanted to do with Kudo before he made his move.

"Hey, Neechan," he started.

"Yes?"

"Did something ever happen at Kid's heist you attended with Ku-Conan?" he asked. Oops. He almost called out Kudo name again. It was a really bad habit of him that was hard to shake. Kudo had complained many times about it.

Ran's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Heiji faltered. "Err…never mind," he said. He couldn't just ask, 'Did something happen with Kid and Kudo during those heists that they're dating now?" That was impossible to do.

"It's hot here," Kazuha joined them. Aoko followed her.

"Yeah," he said and decided to let the matter go.

"Let's see if they sell cold drinks here," Ran suggested.

They found kakigori stall not far from the museum. And Kuroba and Kudo had beaten them there.

"Your order," said the girl working behind the counter. "Coffee flavoured ice."

"Thank you," Kudo replied.

Hmm…The shaved ice dessert looked really tempting in the hot weather.

"Kaito!" Aoko yelled. "Why didn't you tell us that you're going to buy kakigori?"

Kuroba grinned at her. "Aw, come on, Aoko," he replied easily. "It's really hot here."

"And your order," the girl said. "The total is 700 yen."

"Thanks," Kuroba said and paid for the dessert.

"I want one too," Aoko said, "with green tea flavour."

"I want chocolate one," Kazuha ordered and then turned to look at him. "Heiji! What about you?"

"Chocolate flavour," he replied. Heiji was still looking at the price list. As expected, Kuroba paid for him and Kudo.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Even though Sayaka-san asked them to say at her villa for a few days, they declined and chose to return to Osaka since Aoko still wanted to visit tourist's attractions in Osaka.

"We can go to Osaka Castle or Kaiyukan," Kazuha offered.

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was an aquarium located in the ward of Minato ward in Osaka, near Osaka Bay. It was one of the largest public aquariums in the world.

"Kaiyukan is well known for its whale shark." Kazuha informed them.

"You know," Ran said suddenly. "Shinichi once said that detective is like a shark."

"What?" That got everyone's attention.

"We visited Beika Aquarium at that time," Ran said fondly. "And there was a murder case."

Shinichi groaned inwardly. Why did Ran remember about their visit to Beika Aquarium now?

"Do tell about that, Neechan!" Hattori demanded.

Ran proceeded to do so.

Kaito would never let him live it down. He was certain of that. Yes. That mischievous look Kaito had on his face told him everything he needed to know. And to think that a few seconds ago, Kaito had gone pale at the thought of the fish. The annoying grin on Hattori's face was disturbing as well. Urgh.

"And Shinichi solved the case," Ran ended her story.

"Did that often happen?" Aoko asked.

"Twice," Ran answered. "That and the case at Tropical Land. He's doing some undercover job now."

Back at that time, he followed Gin and Vodka was because of his curiosity and carelessness and as the result he was forced to live a lie. But at least, it was better than death, his other option if the poison worked as intended. He didn't like to discuss about that time because he was reminded of his own fault and his fear that he would live the rest of his life as Edogawa Conan, a made up character whose name he picked up randomly because Ran demanded to know who he was.

"Where are we going now?" Kaito asked suddenly, probably sensing that Shinichi's mood had gone sour.

"Ah, what about Osaka Castle?" Kazuha suggested.

After discussion, they decided to go to Osaka Castle and Tsutenkaku Tower. They ended the day with tour in Dotonbori. Dōtonbori was one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, running along the Dōtonbori canal from Dōtonboribashi Bridge to Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba district of the city's Chuo ward. Historically a theatre district, it was now a popular nightlife and entertainment area characterized by its eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards.

One of the area's most prominent features, a billboard for confectionery company Glico displaying the image of a runner crossing a finishing line, was seen as an icon of Osaka within Japan. While Osaka had traditionally served as both a domestic and international tourist destination for food lovers, Dōtonbori was often considered the mecca of the city's penchant for cheap and good food.

Examples of Osaka regional cuisine that one may find in abundance around Dōtonbori include okonomiyaki, takoyaki , udon, as well as local variations of sushi, ramen, and other Japanese cuisine.

"So, shark eh?" Kaito started with a grin. They walked behind the girls, Hattori and Kogoro so Kaito apparently deemed it safe to start conversation with him.

"Shut up," he muttered. He was glad Kaito talk to him normally.

"That's rather morbid, you know." Kaito continued.

He glared at Kaito.

Aoko suddenly turned around and asked. "What to eat first?"

"Anything is fine," Kaito replied, never losing momentum.

"Except fish," he muttered in a low voice.

"So much to choose," Ran muttered.

They even got word for it. Kuidaore was a Japanese word meaning roughly "to ruin oneself by extravagance in food" and literally meaning "to eat oneself bankrupt". It was a part of a larger proverb: "Dress till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka".

"Ramen?" Hattori suggested, pointing at Kinryu Ramen restaurant.

"Crab?" Kazuha asked, pointing at Kani Doraku, a crab restaurant, easily identified by its giant moving crab billboard.

"Let's eat takoyaki first!" Aoko decided.

"Sure!"

They bought takoyaki at Otakoya, a popular takoyaki stand.

"Hmmm...it's really good." Aoko said.

"Of course!" Hattori replied. "Osaka's food is the best! You can't compare Osaka food to that bland Tokyo's food."

"Hey, we're Tokyoites here." Kogoro Mouri grumbled.

Hattori merely grinned at him.

"Do you want to try fugu?" Kazuha asked.

Not far from them was Zubora-ya, a fugu restaurant with a huge blowfish lantern hanging out front.

"You must not eat that!" Kaito said frantically. "It's poisonous!"

"Yes, yes." He said in a dry tone.

They spent a few hours there. It was with full stomach they returned to Tokyo.

"So soon?" Kazuha asked.

"Kaito insists that we're back to Tokyo today," Aoko replied with a roll of her eyes. "He said that he has something important to do tomorrow. He probably forgets to do his homework."

"Oh." Kazuha was crestfallen. "Well, we're going to accompany you to the station then."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Heiji and Kazuha were in Shin-Osaka Station now to bid farewell to their guests. They had bought tickets for Nozomi. Nozomi was the fastest train service running on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen lines in Japan. The trip between Tokyo and Osaka, a distance of 515 kilometres, took 2 hours 25 minutes on the fastest Nozomi.

So far, Kuroba didn't do anything suspicious. In fact, he pampered Kudo very much, which was totally weird. It was even weirder that Kudo let it happen.

"You have to see us when you came to Tokyo," Aoko said.

"We'll visit you soon," Kazuha replied, smiling.

"We can go shopping together." Aoko said.

"We'll have so much fun," Ran added.

"Yeah." The girls smiled at each other.

Kogoro Mouri looked bored of his surroundings.

Heiji was content to let the girls' gossip and chose to focus his attention to Kudo and Kuroba.

"I want ice coffee," Kudo said suddenly.

"You and your coffee obsession," Kuroba grumbled but he went to the vending machine to buy the drink.

"So?" Kudo asked once Kuroba was far enough that the other teen couldn't hear their conversation.

"I never once thought that you would end up dating him," Heiji admitted," but, that's your business. As long as you trust him, then I'm fine with it."

Kudo smiled slightly. "Thanks, Hattori," he said.

Kuroba chose the moment to return with Kudo's request. "Here, Shin-chan."

"Thank you," Kudo said.

Now, it was Heiji's turn to speak with Kuroba. "Can we have a moment?" he asked.

"Sure." Kuroba replied easily.

Kudo looked at them questioningly. Kuroba shook his head slightly. The interaction between Kudo and Kuroba was almost comical to watch.

They went to secluded corner.

"Do I pass your judgement?" Kuroba asked suddenly.

Heiji spluttered.

"You're his best friend," Kuroba continued. "He values your opinion even though he will never admit it."

Heiji was rather flattered to hear that actually. "You don't need to reveal yourself," he said.

Kuroba raised his eyebrow.

Heiji snorted. "Do you think I won't notice it? You purposely led your friend around so you could join Kudo on this trip."

Kuroba smirked.

The change in the personality didn't surprise Heiji anymore. He had seen the flash of that brilliance whenever Kuroba was with Kudo.

"Surely you know about Shin-chan's current condition?"

He nodded.

"Two heads are better than one," Kuroba said. "You not knowing would hinder Shinichi when the need arose."

Ah. Heiji had wondered about that too. If Kuroba stayed in Tokyo, Heiji would never find out about this. His father was Superintendent of Osaka Police Department. He could put Kuroba in jail if he got enough evidence. And Kuroba still took the risk for Kudo's sake.

"I suppose that you're alright," he admitted grudgingly.

"Of course I am," Kuroba replied arrogantly.

"Kudo needs all the help he can get," he continued. "But if you hurt him," he said in a low voice, "I will hunt you down."

"I expect nothing less from you." Kuroba replied. He sounded very amused by the threat.

"What are you guys doing there?" Kazuha called them.

"The train is almost here," Ran added.

"We're coming!" Heiji replied.

They walked to join the girls, Kudo and Kogoro. They walked past magazine stand and Heiji saw something very interesting. He smirked. Well, he might have accepted Kudo's relationship with Kuroba. But that didn't mean he would stop teasing them. In fact, this was only a beginning. With that thought, he hurriedly went to but the magazine.

"Oy, Kuroba!" He called. "Since you're Kid's number one fan, I thought you would like this."

Both Kudo and Kuroba looked at him suspiciously. Heiji didn't blame them. He knew he had evil grin on his face.

"This is girl magazine," Kuroba said slowly, as if questioning Heiji's sanity.

"Hurry up!" Ran called.

"Kaito! What are you doing?" Aoko demanded. Her gaze fell to the magazine. "How could her?" she said indignantly.

"What?" Kuroba asked in confusion. "Aoko, what is wrong with you?"

"That!" Aoko pointed at the magazine's headline.

The cover girl of the magazine was Furuhata Megumi, a new rising star actress who began her career because Kid singled her out during Green Dream heist. 'Kaitou Kid is my ideal man!' the bold headline of the magazine stated. It seemed that the girl had developed crush on Kid because Kid helped her at that time.

"What?" Kuroba exclaimed.

Aoko snatched the magazine and flipped the pages. "'Megumi-chan said in the interview that Kid is such a gentleman and she has crush on him. What is good about that thief anyway?" she kept grumbling about the injustice about Kid.

Heiji stared at her. She really hated Kid while in fact her childhood friend was the man behind the mask. In fact, it seemed like she had crush on Kuroba. It was that Heiji didn't know how to bring this to Kudo.

Kudo looked at the magazine and then looked at Heiji. "You'll pay for this," Kudo mouthed at him.

He smirked back at Kudo. Kudo was welcomed to try. Heiji could handle him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I trust thing is going well?" Shinichi asked once they boarded the train. He pretty could guess what Hattori and Kaito were talking about. It was fortunate that he and Kaito sat on the different row than the others so they could talk freely.

"Your friend is quite protective," Kaito commented.

"Hattori is a good friend," he replied. He eyed the magazine. "You're going to keep that? You and your ego," he muttered.

"Don't you want to know?" Kaito asked suddenly.

"Know about what?"

"Kid's ideal person," Kaito replied, smirking mischievously at him.

"I'm going to say no," he said dryly. "However you're going to continue no matter what I say."

"You're correct," Kaito said, looking straight at him. "Let's see...Kid's ideal person is smart, witty, sarcastic and arrogant. That person is also a very noble guy."

"I'm not sure about the last part," he mumbled out.

But Kaito merely smiled fondly at him and didn't offer any further explanation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Golden Week was almost over and he enjoyed it to the fullest this year. He got a case at Lake Biwa. He also visited Osaka. And today, Kaito said that he was going to take him to watch movie at Beika Mall and then football match at Tokyo Stadium. They decided to meet at Professor Agasa's house as usual.

Haibara smirked when she saw him.

That smirk never bode well for him. "What is it now?" he asked.

She left and returned later with the cursed magazine. The one with Furuhata Megumi on its cover.

"Not that again," he groaned.

Haibara raised her eyebrow.

"Hattori saw it and bought it as a joke," he said.

"Oh, yes. How could I forget?" Haibara said. "You went to introduce your husband to your best friend."

"I went there for a case," he corrected.

"Whatever you say, Kudo," Haibara said with a smirk.

It was best not mention that he actually read the article since Kaito told him the truth about the actress.

"Here," Haibara said suddenly.

"What is that?" he eyed the pill on her palm warily.

"A new antidote," she replied. "The effect should be more stable than before. I need you to test it for me."

"Eh?" He gaped at her.

"Take it," she ordered.

"But I-"

She looked at him.

He sighed. "Fine, fine."

"Good." She nodded in satisfaction and went away, saying. "Don't expect additional gift from me."

"Hey, Haibara!" he called after her. "What do you mean by that?"

She ignored him.

He stared at the pill. Should he take it? Of course! He would never miss the chance to return to his original body.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shinichi had just finished getting dressed when Kaito came. Haibara must have told Kaito about his whereabouts.

"Shin-chan!" Kaito called him loudly.

"Come in," he replied.

Kaito entered the room and stared at him in astonishment. Well, apparently Haibara didn't tell Kaito about the pill.

"It's Haibara-" he began to explain but Kaito stopped him with a very thorough and enthusiastic kiss.

"Hello dearest, this is a very pleasant surprise," Kaito said with a cheeky grin on his face. "You're back."

"Temporarily," he replied. "Haibara gave me the pill. She also told me not to expect additional gift from her. I don't know what she means by that."

"Ah."

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kaito replied quickly.

He narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't seem like nothing for me." In fact, Kaito had that knowing look on his face.

Kaito kissed him again. "You're always suspicious of me," Kaito muttered once the kiss ended.

"It's your own fault," he grumbled. Despite Kaito's claim that Shinichi knew him the best, as a matter fact, he didn't know much about Kaito. He also couldn't read Kaito like Kaito could read him.

Kaito clapped his hand together. "As much as I want to keep you in bed with me all day," the teen said.

He spluttered.

"Unfortunately, we're on schedule here," Kaito continued.

"Schedule? What schedule?" he asked, alarmed.

"Let's go, Shin-chan!" Kaito said gleefully.

"Wait, wait," he protested. "I'm supposed to be on case somewhere. I can't show my face in public like this."

Kaito sighed. "Just wear baseball hat and sunglasses."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Their first destination was Beika Mall to watch the new superheroes movie that was Shinichi's guilty pleasure. The movie was filled with action, great special effects and not much plot but that was alright. Shinichi liked it.

After watching movie, Kaito treated him lunch. They ended up spending more than two hours just talking at the restaurant after the meal was eaten. Luckily, the waiter didn't throw them out. The next was Tokyo Stadium. Kaito had bought tickets with the best view. The football match ended with Tokyo Spirit's winning.

"It's good they won, huh?"

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"Shin-chan," Kaito said, "you sulk for days whenever your favourite team loses."

"I do not!" he denied hotly.

Kaito gave him a look.

He crossed his arms in annoyance. It was true actually. In fact, he could sulk for weeks if his favourite team lose but there was no need for Kaito to say that.

"Where are we going now?" he asked.

"You'll see," Kaito replied cheerily.

"You're pleased with yourself." He had observed Kaito all day and came with the conclusion.

"Because I've got a surprise for you." Kaito admitted.

"A surprise for me?" he asked.

"Yes! You're going to like it."

Kaito took him to dinner cruise on yakatabune the next. Yakatabune were small ships equipped for dinner service and parties where guests lounge on tatami mats. Yakatabune have been around since the Edo Period. Back then, ornate yakatabune were a fixture of the upper echelons of Japanese society, with the likes of feudal lords and wealthy merchants using them for sophisticated activities like viewing cherry blossoms or reciting haiku poems while gently floating down a river.

Nowadays, yakatabune were used primarily for dinner and drinking parties, but they retained the sense of elegance and refinement they gained in the Edo Period. Their range of uses had expanded significantly to include everything from cherry blossom-viewing parties in spring and fireworks-viewing parties in summer, to business dinners, wedding parties, and other special occasions.

In Tokyo, yakatabune excursions typically consisted mainly of cruising around Tokyo Bay and the Sumida and Arakawa Rivers, from which passengers could enjoy a unique method of sightseeing. Cruises visited areas like Odaiba, Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Disneyland and other popular spots that afforded good views from Tokyo's waterways.

The crew met them and the other guests at the fore deck of the ship to collect the shoes and usher them aboard.

The cabin, floored in traditional, easy-on-the-feet tatami mats, was quite spacious. Tables were arranged lengthwise along both sides of the boat with four guests at each but somehow their table only consisted two of them. The low seating combined with the already low-riding design of the boat put them at just the right level to gaze out the windows.

The crews started to bring in food.

"The best Kobe beef," the crew told them about the main course.

He was right. The beef melted in Shinichi's mouth. It was truly delicious.

As the flow of the food slowed, the yakatabune also slowed and came to rest in the bay, at which point they were told to go topside to the ship's spacious viewing desk.

Kaito looked at his watch. "3...2...1!"

DUAR!

Fireworks exploded in the sky. Set against the backdrop of Tokyo Bay and the Rainbow Bridge, this was the most picturesque fireworks he had ever seen.

The other guests were busy taking pictures and talking about the fireworks.

"Fireworks?"

"But this isn't summer yet!"

"Who lit this?"

Shinichi was speechless. Watching movie and football match, cruise dinner and now this? What were all of these about?

"Your mother warned me about this," Kaito said seeing the look on his face. "But you really exceed her expectation."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

Kaito's expression softened and he leaned forward to kiss him. "Happy birthday, Shinichi." Kaito whispered.

Oh! Today was 4th May. His birthday.

"So you remember now," Kaito said.

He nodded. For a while, he couldn't respond. He didn't know what to say to Kaito who had gone all out to celebrate his birthday. "Thank you. For everything," it was all he could say.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Haibara Ai was just finished with her experiment when she heard voices from the living room. It seemed that Kudo and Kuroba just returned from Kudo's birthday celebration. That's why she gave the pill to Kudo.

She went to see them and stopped dead on her track. Kudo and Kuroba were busy kissing. It seemed like Kuroba was trying to eat Kudo's face. My, my. It went for a while. As much as she enjoyed this, she must stop them if they went too far. She still wanted to sit on that couch. Thankfully, Kuroba then stood up, taking Kudo with him. Their destination was obvious.

She stared at their disappearing figures. What they did inside Kudo's bedroom wasn't her business. And then her gaze fell on the gifts on the coffee table. There were gifts from Professor Agasa, Ran, Kudo's parents and gifts from Kuroba. Gifts from Kuroba stood out because Kudo had opened them. She took a peek. Hmm...leather satchel bag, iPod, newest MacBook Air and...what was inside the envelope? Ah. Two tickets to Sherlock Holmes convention next month, which for Kudo, was probably the best present. Well, as long as they were happy.

Author's Note:

Hi, everyone!

Sorry for the delay. I rewrote the last part so Shinichi could have his birthday celebration as Shinichi instead of Conan. Kaito lit fireworks for Aoko's birthday in Blue Birthday heist so his present for Shinichi must be bigger than that.

The next arc 'Rhapsody in Blue' will feature Nightmare heist, Hakuba Saguru and Kaito and Shinichi's first disagreement.

Anyway, countdown to my Japan trip. I'm really, really excited. Can't wait for it.

Thank you for reading and please review.


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